Breck Epic 2013

The Breck Epic is a 6-day stage race starting and finishing in various locations in Breckenridge, CO. Over the 6 days we would travel roughly 240 miles and gain 40,000 feet of vertical all above 9,500 feet ! We would reach as high as 12,500 feet on the Wheeler Stage #5. Sound hard?! It was! Grab a beverage and read on.

This would be my second year racing the Breck. Last year I did it solo and this year I was teaming up with my husband Steve . Another change was racing my Specialized Fate 29er hard tail vs the 26er full suspension last year. I was looking forward to seeing how the race would unfold.

Stage 1, Pennsylvania Creek went well. We rode strong and just did our thing getting used to the elevation and terrain. We ended up taking the stage win in our category.  Stage 2, Colorado Trail was approximately 38 miles and 5,300 feet. It was game on from the start with the 2nd place team, Sean & Natalie. Towards the beginning of the race Sean & I were riding together in a tight single track section when all the sudden I clipped my bars on a tree and went down. Sean was nice enough to stop and make sure I was ok and grab my bike in time for it to stop rolling down the hill. So not only was this team fast they were also nice! We were together up until Aid #1 and lost sight of them after passing on a climb. We kept riding strong, as we knew they would be close behind. Also, it looked like some weather was coming in. Flash backs of last year's Stage 2 (rain start to finish) started to enter my mind. I started to descend the Colorado Trail pretty quickly to avoid any additional suffering. After the stage Steve told me he was setting a pretty fast pace. Nice! We ended up with another stage win!

Stage 2 start line

Stage 3, Guyot Loop was a big one! Lots of climbing as per usual here. We were off to a good start still back and forth with Natalie & Sean. There was a hike a bike section today that lasted about 20 minutes. Sean & Natalie got ahead on the descent but were still in sight until I dropped my chain. The chain ended up going on the outside of the big ring. We got that fixed and were back on the chase. It was a hard day getting hailed on twice and grinding out some tough climbs. Steve & I did not see our competition until towards the top of the last climb. We were not able to close the gap and they took the stage win beating us by 1:26. We still had the overall lead by roughly 5 minutes going in to Stage 4.

Duo Mixed Podium

Rob & Rick 2nd place 100+ Duo Men

Stage 4, was another big climbing day with 43 miles and 6,500 ft. Steve & I are were off to a good start leading the first climb and descent. Towards the end of the descent Steve said he thought my back tire was leaking. With Sean & Natalie right on our wheels I asked what we should do? We rode for a bit and then Steve said we should stop. My back tire had definitely lost some air. We looked to see if there were any noticeable punctures and could not see any. Steve hit it with some CO2 and we saw where the tire was punctured. He spun the tire and tried to get the Stans to seal it. Luckily that seemed to do the trick. Sean & Natalie had passed us as we were fixing the tire so now we had to burn some matches to catch up. I started to hammer away and we ended up eventually catching them. Sean was pulled over on the trail and he had flatted as well. Towards the top of Vomit Hill (yes that is the real name :) ) Natalie was on us again. They got ahead of us again. Steve & I rode as strong as we could but I think the fast pace we set after fixing my tire caught up with us. We took 2nd in the stage but still had the overall lead but it was only 27 secs! Yes, that is right 27 secs! It was getting interesting!

Great shot of Steve!

Stage 5, Wheeler Pass which would top out at 12,500 feet. It was another fast start with Steve & I taking the lead up the first climb. We zipped through Aid #1 with Natalie & Sean in hot pursuit. I was feeling pretty good on the first climb and the beginning of the hike a bike. The hike was approximately 40 minutes and tough! I was up front going as fast as I could. Some people started to pass me and Steve was saying words of encouragement behind me like "nice big steps". On the other hand Sean was making everyone feel better when he said "We only have 30 minutes left". Nice one! I really started to suffer with the elevation. Just before we were about to get on our bikes Sean & Natalie passed us. I told Steve I was pretty close to getting sick. Then I was offered the Bacon hand up! Really not helping the Vegan who was already queasy! I managed to keep it together and we were off the bikes again for the 2nd hike a bike section. We lost sight of "Team Long Legs" after that. We did our best on the descent but it was punishing on a hard tail. One stop on the way down as a guy had a crash. We wanted to make sure he was ok and he was after a few choice words. Hit the bike path then Aid #2. From there we got to the last punishing, never ending climb on Miners Creek Rd. It was completely unnecessary! I heard a lot of swearing and grunts around me. I guess it was comforting to know I was not the only one in the hurt locker. Shortly after we entered Peaks Trail Steve said "Yeah I think this is pretty much my least favourite stage". Another guy crashed hitting his knee right on a rock. Ouch! We stopped to make sure he was ok. We finally finished the stage which was a relief. As we came across the finish line I heard the announcer say the other team had put some more time into us. As Natalie would say "It was on until it wasn't". At the awards ceremony Steve asked Sean and Natalie if they wanted to ride "neutral" for the last stage. With an 11 minute lead and 3rd place about 3 hours back we knew positions would not change unless there was a mechanical or injury - not the way to win. They agreed which was cool.

Heading out of Aid #1

Steve's B-day. 

Stage 6, Gold Dust was a cake walk compared to the other stages. I woke up with a cold which kind of sucked but the "Twins" came to the rescue with some medicine for me at the start line. Glad we were taking things easy today.

Thanks "Twins" for all your help!!

Steve, Tim & Mike looking good for Stage 6!

We had a blast riding with Sean & Natalie enjoying the trails, getting to know each other, taking photos & videos and taking in the views. It was a beautiful day and a great way to end the race.

First climb of the day

At the top of Boreas Pass enjoying a beer!

Stage 7 was fun hanging out with friends and the other racers.  We enjoyed breakfast the next day with our team mates, Sean & Natalie and other friends.

Stage 7! Need I say more :)

Highlights include racing with my husband. He was so amazing to race with.  He was patient, supportive and made me work hard! Also, meeting Sean & Natalie, having the Twins cheer us on all week long and seeing our other team mates and friends do so well. Mike finished 4th overall in the 40+ Men and grabbed 2nd on Stage 4. Tim was 5th overall for Single Speed and 3rd on Stage 5. Rob and Rick were 2nd in the 100+ Men Duo. Kate Aardal was 2nd overall for Open Women and won the Enduro for women. 

Taking home 4 leader's jerseys was pretty awesome! Overall the Fate handled well and my times had really improved from last year (routes were not exactly the same but comparable). Thanks Specialized Canada for helping me out with the awesome wheels and my coach Shaun Taylor for kicking my butt! Overall a great race and good experience. Will I do it again? I may need a few more days to think about it :)

Meeting Todd Wells was pretty cool!

Thank you to everyone who supported us and made our success possible. My bike ran great thanks to Kham at Bow Cycle and Spencer at Speed Matrix who did my bike fit. My nutrition was great thanks to Infinit Nutrition Canada. Finally, thanks to Mike McCormack for organizing a great event!